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[1/5] Ukrainian dancer Anton Tiplov takes part in a Eurovision themed dance off for fans near the arena as part of the Eurovision Song Contest festivities in Liverpool, Britain May 11. REUTERS/Phil NobleLIVERPOOL, England, May 11 (Reuters) - Liverpool has opened its heart to Ukraine for Eurovision 2023, flying blue and yellow flags, offering special tickets to its refugees and adopting its cuisine, in addition to putting the country centre stage in three live shows. But organisers have worked hard to showcase Ukraine to thousands of fans in the "City of Pop" and millions more watching around the world. "Eurovision is such a joy to have in Liverpool and we're very conscious that we only have it because of the terrible things that are happening in Ukraine," he said. "So as a chef, I wanted to give a nod to the two food cultures coming together."

☆ English island that inspired Agatha Christie is up for sale, along with its luxury Art Deco hotel
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Lianne Kolirin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

London CNN —A tiny island that inspired legendary crime novelist Agatha Christie has gone up for sale, complete with its own Art Deco hotel and helipad. Burgh Island, located just off the coast of Britain’s south-westerly county of Devon, is on the market for “offers in excess of £15m” ($18.9 million), according to real estate agent Knight Frank. Each room at the hotel is named after a notable guest, including "Agatha's beach house." Burgh Island HotelOver the years, Burgh has been a popular escape for the rich and famous. In 1927, it was sold to film producer Archibald Nettlefold, who went on to build a more substantial hotel in the Art Deco style fashionable at the time.

☆ Eurovision 2023 opens with acts walking Liverpool's 'Turquoise Carpet'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LIVERPOOL, England, May 7 (Reuters) - Eurovision 2023 kicked off on Sunday when 37 contenders walked the "Turquoise Carpet" in Liverpool, the English city hosting the competition on behalf of Ukraine. The "Turquoise Carpet" is Eurovision's version of the red carpet. Ukraine was last year's winner but was unable to stage the event this year, as the winner usually does, because of Russia's invasion. The other 31 contenders will compete in semi-finals on Tuesday and Thursday for 20 places in the grand final. Reporting by Steve Hignett; Writing by Paul Sandle; Editing by Susan FentonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ A $175 check signed by Steve Jobs is up for auction—it’s 'expected to fetch $25,000' or more
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( Megan Sauer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

But if you find one signed by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, it might be worth extra cash. RR Auction, a Boston-based organization that sources and sells historical autographs, manuscripts and artifacts, is auctioning off a $175 check signed by Steve Jobs in July 1976. The check is expected to fetch $25,000," over 142 times its original worth, according to the company's press release. In 1974, Jobs left his role as a video game designer and reconnected with Steve Wozniak, a former high school friend. When Jobs was kicked out of Apple in 1985, he started a rival computer company called NeXT.

☆ Nothing Is Bigger Than Stephen Curry vs. LeBron James
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Sopan Deb | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A playoff series headlined by Curry and James is the basketball equivalent of the Rolling Stones and the Beatles touring together. Or Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier, except with a touch more gray and way more mutual respect. Or, in basketball terms, this is Magic Johnson vs. Larry Bird in the 1980s. James, at 38, and Curry, at 35, are nearing the end of careers that have revolutionized basketball, with no clear heirs to continue the progression. “I think the league is very healthy as far as star power, but who takes the lead in that role?”

[1/5] Singer Ed Sheeran arrives at Manhattan Federal Court for his copyright trial in New York City, U.S., April 25, 2023. "We don't allow dancing," U.S. District Judge Louis Stanton instructed the seven-member jury. The trial is the first of three Sheeran could face from lawsuits over similarities between the two hits. Sheeran is expected to testify again later in the trial as part of the defense case. If the jury finds Sheeran liable for copyright infringement, the trial will enter a second phase to determine how much he and his labels owe in damages.

☆ Bob Marley and the Wailers’ ‘Catch a Fire’ Turns 50
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( Marc Myers | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Jamaican music was hardly foreign to American ears or the U.S. pop charts in 1973. Starting with Harry Belafonte ’s recording of “Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)” in 1956, singles became hits using Jamaica’s brassy ska and mellow rocksteady styles. These included Millie Small’s “My Boy Lollipop” (1964), Johnny Nash ’s “Hold Me Tight” (1968) and “I Can See Clearly Now” (1972), the Beatles’ “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” (1968) and Desmond Dekker & the Aces’ “Israelites” (1968). Then, in February 1973, the Jamaican crime film “The Harder They Come,” starring singer Jimmy Cliff , was released in the U.S. along with the soundtrack album. Many Americans were exposed for the first time to reggae—a bass-heavy rhythmic style that emerged in 1968 with the Maytals’ “Do the Reggay.”

☆ Mary Quant, designer who epitomized Swinging 60s, dies at 93
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Mary Quant, the visionary fashion designer whose colorful, sexy miniskirts epitomized Swinging London in the 1960s has died at 93. Mary Quant, the visionary fashion designer whose colorful, sexy miniskirts epitomized Swinging London in the 1960s and influenced youth culture around the world, has died. "She was the right person with the right sensibility in the right place at the right time. Quant was also credited with introducing hot pants and micro-minis to the fashion scene in the late 1960s. Quant stepped down from the day-to-day management of her firm, Mary Quant Ltd., in 2000 after it was purchased by a Japanese company, but kept working as a consultant.

April 4 (Reuters) - Apple Inc (AAPL.O) lost a bid to register part of a federal trademark for "Apple Music" on Tuesday after a U.S. appeals court ruled for a jazz musician who challenged the tech giant's application. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit rejected Apple's argument that it had priority over trumpeter Charlie Bertini's "Apple Jazz" trademark rights based on its ownership of an earlier trademark from the Beatles' music label Apple Corps Ltd. The court allowed Bertini to block Apple's bid for a federal Apple Music trademark covering live performances, one of several trademark uses Apple sought to secure. Apple launched its streaming service in 2015 and applied the same year for a federal "Apple Music" trademark covering several categories of music and entertainment services. It said Apple could not "tack" its trademark rights for live performances to the Apple Corps trademark for sound recordings, a different category of goods.

[1/7] BERLIN, GERMANY - MARCH 30: King Charles III addresses members of the German Bundestag at the Reichstag Building on March 30, 2023 in Berlin, Germany. The king, on the second day of a three-day trip to Germany, alternated between German and English for the half-hour speech, which won a standing ovation from lawmakers. Both Britain and Germany had shown "vital leadership", Charles said, praising Berlin's decision to provide large military support to Ukraine as "remarkably courageous, important and appreciated". Throughout his visit, German officials have praised his interest in environmental causes and sustainability that has shone through in the engagements he has chosen to understake. Charles had been due to travel first to France but cancelled that part of the tour due to violent social unrest there.

☆ Vinyl sales surpassed CDs for the first time in 35 years as records make 'remarkable resurgence'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Bethany Biron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Vinyl sales beat out CDs for the first time since 1987, according to the Recording Industry Association of America. While streaming still reigns supreme, physical music sales are making a "remarkable resurgence," RIAA said. Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, and Olivia Rodrigo topped vinyl sales this year, per Luminate. Not since 1987 has vinyl led physical music sales, after the rise of the compact disc revolutionized the way Americans consumed music. Still, vinyl sales are on the rise even as supply issues and bottlenecks plague the industry and companies struggle to meet demand.

☆ U.S. composer Burt Bacharach dies at age 94
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Bill Trott | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Bacharach and David had 30 Top-40 hits in the '60s alone. I'd hear his melodies and I'd hear lyrics. I'd hear rhymes, I'd hear thoughts and I'd hear it almost immediately." Bacharach and David scored the Neil Simon Broadway musical "Promises, Promises," which won them two Tonys and a Grammy. While star performers made his songs hits, Bacharach said he also enjoyed performing himself and making a personal connection with smaller audiences.

☆ Burt Bacharach, legendary composer of pop songs, dies at 94
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Bacharach was both an innovator and throwback, and his career seemed to run parallel to the rock era. He was an eight-time Grammy winner, a prize-winning Broadway composer for "Promises, Promises" and a three-time Oscar winner. Fellow songwriter Sammy Cahn liked to joke that the smiling, wavy-haired Bacharach was the first composer he ever knew who didn't look like a dentist. Bacharach was essentially a pop composer, but his songs became hits for country artists (Marty Robbins), rhythm and blues performers (Chuck Jackson), soul (Franklin, Luther Vandross) and synth-pop (Naked Eyes). He's everybody's composer ... Burt Bacharach!"

Finance chiefs are coming into the year grappling with a variety of challenges, from rising interest rates and inflation to managing labor disruptions, pricing and inventory. Newsletter Sign-up WSJ | CFO Journal The Morning Ledger provides daily news and insights on corporate finance from the CFO Journal team. “But…there’s more and more of a belief that any kind of downturn will be short and shallow, frankly. Some finance chiefs, meanwhile, are finding opportunities to expand in the volatile economy. You can’t take everything that your vendors are sending you.”Labor woes persistHiring, however, remains a challenge for finance chiefs.

☆ ‘Your Mother Should Know: Brad Mehldau Plays the Beatles’ Review: All You Need Is Jazz
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Martin Johnson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Since his emergence on the jazz scene in the early ’90s, pianist Brad Mehldau has become well known for a supple touch on the keyboard and unique, spiky compositions, but much of his stellar reputation is built on his choice of other repertoire. Shortly after he began recording as a leader, he surprised jazz aficionados with exceptional covers of songs by Radiohead, Soundgarden, Massive Attack and many others from rock and electronic music. He made this material sound like a natural part of jazz, presenting it alongside more conventional fare such as the music of Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane and Antônio Carlos Jobim and other standards. After several recent releases that focus more on original material, he’s returned to other people’s music with his latest recording, “Your Mother Should Know: Brad Mehldau Plays the Beatles” (Nonesuch, Feb. 10 release), and it showcases a dramatic change in his approach.

☆ Here's why the housing market could see more action this year - and what it means for affordability
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Now — into the housing market we go. Nadia Evangelou, senior economist for the NAR, told me recently the housing market could turn around in 2023, but unaffordability would remain a prevailing theme. In other news:People sit outside the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., September 15, 2016. Elon Musk said he's worried about the Fed "crushing" the value of the entire stock market. The current uncertainty in the housing market can be paralyzing for investors, but there's still opportunities to make money, he explained.

☆ AI bot that lets you chat with Jesus, Hitler is latest GPT-3 controversy
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( David Ingram | David Ingram Covers Tech For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

But this week, it sparked viral controversy online over its inclusion of Hitler, his Nazi lieutenants and other dictators from the past. Historical Figures, which also uses GPT-3, launched the first week of January, and as of Wednesday, it had about 9,000 signups, app creator Sidhant Chadda said in a phone interview. “People expect these historical figures to be truthful, but in reality, people are not always 100% honest,” he said. Asking a question costs one coin, and the app charges extra to get access to high-profile historical figures. The possibility of digitally re-animating historical figures has been gaining ground ever since, from the “The Simpsons” to holograms of dead idols such as Buddy Holly and Whitney Houston.

☆ Earth, Wind & Fire drummer Fred White dies at age 67
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Drummer Fred White, who backed up his brothers Maurice and Verdine White in the Grammy-winning ensemble Earth, Wind & Fire, has died. He didn’t say how or where his brother died. Fred White was already an accomplished drummer, playing for Donny Hathaway, before he joined Earth, Wind & Fire in the mid-1970s. Verdine White said his brother Fred was a gifted child musician, “with gold records at the young age of 16 years old!” Fred White remained with the band until 1983. Maurice White died at the age of 74 in 2016.

☆ Final farewell: From Sidney Poitier to Pope Emeritus Benedict a look back at the influential figures who died in 2022
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +55 min

Other world leaders who died in 2022 include former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who died in August. The final days of 2022 saw the loss of some exceptionally notable figures, including Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. Here is a roll call of some influential figures who died in 2022 (cause of death cited for younger people, if available):___JANUARY___Dan Reeves, 77. A Cuban-born artist whose radiant color palette and geometric paintings were overlooked for decades before the art world took notice. A prolific character actor best known for playing villains and tough guys in “The Manchurian Candidate,” “Ocean’s Eleven” and other films.

☆ ABBA's successful avatar show in London offers a glimpse at a daring new direction for live music
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

"Our ambition is to do another ABBA Voyage, let's say in North America, Australasia, we could do another one in Europe. Dave J Hogan | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty ImagesIt was also designed for flexibility. Promotional image for ABBA Voyage, the digital avatar-based live show currently running in London. For Cox, live shows that provide a "shared experience" like ABBA Voyage hold a greater appeal than headset-based virtual experiences, though there will certainly be more of those available in future. Frazer Harrison | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images

☆ Fact Check-Image inspired by The Beatles’ ‘Sgt. Pepper’ album cover, showing celebrities who died in 2022, is annual artwork produced by British artist
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

An image showing dozens of celebrities who have died in 2022 is inspired by the cover art for The Beatles’ 1967 album, ‘Sgt. It is a piece of work produced annually by a British artist and it includes different popular figures each year. However, the picture shows this year’s take on the annual project and includes celebrities who have died from numerous causes in 2022. British artist Chris Barker posted the image on Instagram (here and here), the latter of which includes the caption, “#sgtpepper2022 update. The artwork is an annual project produced by an artist and includes celebrities who have died from numerous causes in 2022.

☆ Lamborghini Looks to the Past as It Plans an EV Future
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( William Boston | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Lamborghini, one of the best-known super luxury car brands, is hoping a little help from old friends will drive its first fully electric sports car straight into the hearts—and garages—of future fans. In designing its first all-electric model, the Italian luxury car maker owned by Volkswagen AG’s Audi brand is drawing inspiration from the Gran Turismo, an iconic 1960s-era sports car that Paul McCartney drove and that was parked outside Apple Studios during the Beatles’ last live performance, the rooftop concert featured in the “Get Back” documentary.

☆ BTS singer Jin set to begin South Korea military service, source says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Yoonjung Seo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Seoul, South Korea CNN —K-pop superstar Jin will begin his mandatory military service next month, a source with direct knowledge of the situation confirmed Friday, after the BTS singer appealed to the supergroup’s devoted fans to stay away from his South Korean army training center. The source said the 29-year-old star, BTS’ oldest member, will enter service December 13 at Yeoncheon army base in the northern Gyeonggi province. Military service is compulsory in South Korea, where almost all able-bodied men are required to serve in the army for 18 months by the time they are 28 years old. “Reports have come out against my will, but our ARMYs (BTS fans), should not come to the training center,” he wrote. With their military service looming, BTS said in June it would press pause to pursue solo projects.

☆ Miami Beach hotel that hosted JFK, Beatles imploded
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — A once-luxurious Miami Beach hotel that hosted the Beatles and President John F. Kennedy during its 1960s heyday was imploded Sunday after falling into disrepair and abandonment in recent years. The Beatles performed there in 1964, recording six songs for “The Ed Sullivan Show,” drawing an estimated television audience of 70 million people. The Beatles at the Deauville Hotel where they performed for the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964. Miami Beach officials and the family that owned the hotel sparred over millions of dollars in fines for various code violations. City officials say Ross may still be interested in purchasing the lot if an alternate plan can be worked out.

[1/2] Taylor Swift receives the award for the Best Longform Video during the 2022 MTV Europe Music Awards (EMAs) at the PSD Bank Dome in Duesseldorf, Germany, November 13, 2022. REUTERS/Wolfgang RattayDUESSELDORF, Nov 13 (Reuters) - Taylor Swift walked away with four prizes at MTV's Europe Music Awards on Sunday, including best video for her 10-minute "All Too Well". Double-award winners included Nicki Minaj for best song and best hip-hop, and the French DJ and record producer David Guetta won the best electronic award and best collaboration. The U.S. pop singer Swift, wearing a dress of bejewelled mesh, won best artist, best pop, best video and best long form video. British pop star Harry Styles won in the "best live" category and the Thai-born Lalisa 'Lisa' Manoban won best K-pop.

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